Cart Road to be closed for 20-25 days: HP CM

The Cart Road (circular road), which has been breached near MLAs hostel, would have to be closed for 20-25 days for laying bailey bridge to facilitate vehicular movement till permanent retaining wall is erected for smooth traffic, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh told Assembly today.
Replying to a calling attention of Suresh Bharadwaj (BJP) regarding inconvenience faced by people due to frequent collapse of the retaining wall at the site, Singh said the road had sunk on December 8 last year affecting traffic, but single lane traffic was restored the same day.
Work on construction of temporary retaining wall was started and two-way traffic was restored but lasting solution to the problem was construction of permanent retaining wall, he explained.

The main reason for sinking of the road was cutting of hill side for construction of parking beneath the road and perennial seepage and heavy rains and snowfall causing landslides, he said, adding that the retaining wall constructed by the contractor again sunk two feet following fresh snowfall and rains on March 2, 2015.
Officials of Public Works Department and Shimla Municipal Corporation visited the site again but due to inclement weather it was not possible to immediately construct the retaining wall with firm footing, and it was decided to wait for good weather.
Besides seepage, there was "over burden" of debris at the site where the retaining wall is to be constructed and vehicles moving on the road may face danger during removal of debris and in view of this the roads may have to be closed for 20-25 days for construction of bailey bridge, Singh said.

Observing the inconvenience faced by commuters, Bharadwaj demanded that they be compensated for additional fare but the Chief Minister ruled it out saying that facility of trans-shipment would be provided and there would be no extra burden.